San Diego’s Bill For Toxic Removal At Qualcomm Stadium Goes Up

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Aired 4/14/10

The legal bills for the city of San Diego in the cleanup of toxic pollution under Qualcomm Stadium have jumped again. The city is hoping to one day use water under the stadium parking lot to supply 5,000 homes.

The legal bills for the city of San Diego in the cleanup of toxic pollution under Qualcomm Stadium have jumped again. The city is hoping to one day use water under the stadium parking lot to supply 5,000 homes.

The city council today set aside more than $600,000 to cover legal and consulting fees for its case against Kinder Morgan Energy. The city has sued the Houston-based company to accelerate the cleanup of toxins from underground gasoline spills dating back to the 1980s.

The city is also seeking punitive damages. So far, the city has spent more than one million dollars in the case. City officials say they expect to spend another $1.5 million. The case is scheduled for trial in early 2012.

Kinder Morgan must remove contamination from the soil by the end of this year. The company says it's confident it can meet that deadline. But city officials have expressed doubt and the doubt got more serious last summer when a new extension of the plume was discovered.